Chapter Four
"W-what?" I asked, complete off guard. Artemis wanted me to join the Hunt? Was she reading my thoughts earlier when I had thought that the Hunters were amazing?
"Our lady Artemis invites you to join the Hunt. That is, if you succeed in your quest. We're not forcing you or anything, Bella. But Connor says you're pretty good with the bow and arrow, so that concludes it." Thalia explained with a smile on her face.
I was dumbfounded. They wanted me. A child of Aphrodite. And it hit me -what would my mother say? She would frown upon this matter for sure.
"Uh...I'm flattered and all, but don't you think that my mom would...uh...you know..." I trailed off.
Thalia laughed. "Oh, yeah. Your mom's going to make a big deal out of this. But don't worry. We've had some instances before. Artemis accepts anyone who is willing to, even mortals. Think about it, will you, Bella?"
I nodded my head. "I will. Uh...thanks, Thalia."
"Don't thank me. Remember, Bella, you get to be immortal. You get to serve one of the most amazing goddess. And you swear off boys -that's the best part." Thalia said.
I walked away. I was being asked if I wanted to be immortal. Hunting with girls who were just like me -girls who didn't care about their appearance, girls who would rather chase off a monster in the woods than do their hair and makeup.
I walked back in Phoebe's tent. Phoebe looked at me all excitedly. "So?" she asked, her big eyes grew even wider.
"I'll think about it. I mean, it's a lot to take in." I said quietly.
Phoebe looked a bit disappointed, but I thought she'd get over it tomorrow morning. I layed on my side and stared out to the open sky. I thought about the recent dreams I've been having -all that involved Connor. I'm sure that meant something...the Fates wouldn't have given me dreams if they were a bunch of nothingness.
I slept. And for the first time in three days, my mother didn't speak to me at all.
* * * * * * * * * *
Voices around me were chattering and talking. Some were laughing and joking. My eyes fluttered open as I took in my surroundings. Then I remembered what happened last night -I have been invited to join the Hunt. So it hadn't been a dream.
"Wow, look at you, beauty queen." Phoebe joked.
"Don't get started on my hair, Phoebs," I said, rubbing my eyes. "I know I look like a mess."
Phoebe laughed. "You look nothing like a mess. You wake up beautiful, right?" she asked, confused.
I raised an eyebrow. "I am nothing near beautiful so please refrain from making comments about my nest of hair."
Phoebe was about to say something when a conch blew outside. "Come on, it's time for breakfast." she said, taking my hand and leading me outside. I squinted, it was bright outside.
"What time is it?" I asked.
"It's seven thirty." a voice behind me answered.
It was Connor. Surprisingly, he looked hot when he had just woken up. His wavy hair gleamed in the light and he flashed me a toothy grin. I had to hide a blush as I looked away. "Where's Travis?" I asked.
"On his way."
"Oh." was all I could muster up. I couldn't help but notice that Connor was standing nearer to me than usual. Was he afraid of the Hunters?
"Eat up!" Thalia announced as she handed out plates of eggs, bacon, and toast. The typical American breakfast. I wonder who cooked all these.
After sacrificing a part of our meal to the gods, Thalia came up to me again. "Remember our offer, Bella. You won't regret it if you join." she said, then heading back into her tent.
Connor edged to me closer. "What's all up in your butt?" I asked him.
"Hm?" he asked, looking up. His blue eyes seemed even bluer in the sunlight.
"Uh...why are you being all squirmy today?"
"I'm not." he denied.
I rolled my eyes as I saw Travis coming out of the tent. "Urgh...stupid Hunters and their stupid pranks." he muttered as he limped over to our side.
"What happened?" I asked him.
"Turns out the 'food' they offered me was filled with a dash of unicorn hair powder. Now I'm going to expect rashes all over my legs and uh...sensitive area."
I did not want a mental image of that to scar my brain, so I decided to leave it at that. I stood up and went to Thalia.
"I guess we're leaving soon." I said.
Thalia nodded. "I've found a way to get you guys to Florida."
My eyes widened. "You did? That's awesome!"
"I know. And it'll take little time."
"Then how?" I asked excitedly.
"We've called up the Pennsylvania Party Ponies, and they're willing to help you guys out."
Oh. No. I've had my fair share of experiences dealing with the Party Ponies and let me tell you -they weren't good ones. But I had to swallow my fear. Instead, I smiled. "That's good. When will they arrive?"
"Now."
The second she said that, I heard fireworks go off in a distance and someone shouting, "That was radical, dude!". Yeah, that was definitely the Party Ponies. I sighed.
"Thanks, Thalia. You have no idea how this will help us." I said.
"You're welcome. But remember this -the Hunters have better, bigger adventures. We're immortal. Just think about it, okay? You'd be a great addition to the Hunt." Thalia said.
I nodded and we both headed outside. Connor and Travis were both talking to the gang leader of the centuars. One of them was wearing a t-shirt that said, "Party hard at day, party harder at night."
"Well, the word 'beautiful' isn't enough to describe this young lady." a centaur said. I smiled sheepishly as a gesture of thanks. "Connor hasn't been taking care of you enough, has he?"
I glanced up at the centaur, confused.
"Just messin' with 'ya, kiddo. Come on! Florida, here we come!" he said, motioning me to get on his back.
I said goodbye to the Hunters, and grabbed my backpack as I searched for Connor and Travis. I watched them as they talked to the centaurs. I walked over to Connor and pulled at his shirt. He turned around, a bit in annoyance, then he saw me.
"What is it?" he asked, softening up.
"Uh, we have to leave." I replied.
"Oh. Oh, yeah. Travis, come on!" he said. "You ready? I hear these guys are faster than a bullet train." he asked me, grinning wide.
I shook my head. "I'm kind of scared, honestly. But hey, it's not everyday that you get to say you've ridden on a Party Pony, right?" I joked.
Connor smiled. "Yeah. Don't worry, though, I'll tell Gary to ride right beside Phineas. That way, we can get to ride beside each other."
He left, leaving me feeling like someone had microwaved my insides. I breathed in hastily and tugged on my backpack.
"Phineas? Can we go now?" I asked the centaur.
Phineas grinned. "Sure, thing, sweet cheeks. Gary just told me that your boyfriend wanted to ride beside you. It's no problem."
"He's not my boyfriend..." I muttered, settling into Phineas' back. It wasn't too hard -it was almost like riding a talking pegasus.
Phineas shrugged his shoulders. "Well, seems like it," he said. "Hey, Party Ponies! You ready to partaaayyy?!"
The Party Ponies cheered. Gary and Connor found their way beside me. Connor gave me a warm smile, and I tried to smile back. I probably looked like I was being strangled.
In a flash, we were out. The Party Ponies really were faster than a bullet train -I had to hold on to Phineas' hair, which I thought would slow him down, but in fact had only made him run even faster.
In the span of an hour, we stopped. I had to will myself not to puke when I stepped down from Phineas.
"You okay, Bella? You look kinda green." Connor teased.
"Shut...up..." I muttered, feeling bile rise to my throat. I forced myself to swallow it down.
Connor thanked the Party Ponies and off they went. "Well, we're in Florida. Where do we go first? Disney World? Universal Studios?"
I slapped him on the arm. "No, you idiot! We should ask where to find the god of rest!"
Connor rolled his eyes. "From who? Walt Disney?"
I gave him a glare. Travis put a hand on Connor's shoulder. "Dude, cut her some slack. She looks like she's about to puke any minute now."
Before Connor could reply, we looked up to see a plain gray building with white accents. The name of the company? Dreams Up, with a symbol of a cloud beside it.
The small bell on the door rang when we entered and the cashier looked up. It was a girl, with tan skin and blonde hair. She was pretty.
We walked up to the counter. As we got closer, I saw her eyes got wider as she looked at Connor. I knew he was attractive, but I didn't understand why all the girls went for Connor and not Travis. They were practically the same person!
No, my mind said, and I knew it.
"Hi," she said in a flirty voice. "How may I help you today?"
"I'm not sure," Connor replied in the same flirty voice. "Maybe your number in my phone would do."
I rolled my eyes, trying to appear unamused and collected when all in all, I wanted to smack the girl on the head and kill the green monster inside of me.
"Dude, you don't have a phone." Travis whispered. I stifled a laugh. It was true -most demigods didn't have phones because it was basically sending up a flare, making all the monsters smell or sense where we were.
"Shut up, Travis." Connor muttered.
The cashier laughed. "Don't have any phones, huh? I wonder how you demigods live without them."
We all looked at her. A mortal who knew about demigods? This was definitely a first.
"Demigods? What the heck are those? Like, are they snack bars or something?" Connor spoke first. I forced out a laugh.
The cashier let out a flirty laugh again. "Don't worry, I see through the Mist. It comes handy, especially when immortals visit for pillows."
We all stared at her as she continued to talk. "So, what are you here for? 5000-extra hour sleep mist? A sleep potion? Those both only cost about 20 drachma."
Travis was the first to shake his head no. "We're here to meet the god of Rest."
The girl widened her eyes. "That's not possible. Are...are you three on a quest?"
We all nodded our heads. "This is where we were sent to go."
The cashier looked at us worriedly. "I'm...I'm sorry. But Morpheus is missing. I don't know where he's left or where he's gone, but -"
Suddenly, there was a large explosion inside the door to the right of the counter. Feathers and the smell of lavender filled the room.
From the feathers and mist erupted a man who wore silver and white. He was terribly handsome, and had the look that could hypnotize you any time he wanted.
It was Morpheus.